Prison of Words
by Ray'o'Sunshine
Summary: Maleficent has done some despicable things that label her with words she wishes she could leave behind. She is hurt by her own actions, making her vulnerable and weak. Will Diaval be able to help her become the Maleficent she really wants to be?
1. Prologue

**Hi everyone! Thanks to all who read both my one-shot stories based on the movie "Maleficent". I never expected to have so many people like them!**

**I decided to write one more. It is still a pretty short story, but I divided it into chapters to organize it more. This one focuses on Maleficent and Diaval, but it has nothing to do with my other story "Unbreakable Bonds".**

**Hope you enjoy! :)**

* * *

**MALEFICENT**

Cold-hearted. Bitter. Hostile. Cruel. Over a lifetime, words can build a prison around you and shape you into the very being they describe. Of course, you commit the crime first. You are cold-hearted and bitter and hostile and cruel. Your prison wall rises and the taller it gets, the more encased in the words you become. People no longer know you for what you once were. For some there is no escape. Sometimes the crime is just too large and the walls will never be overcome. You will be cold-hearted, bitter, hostile, and cruel forever.

This, it seemed, was going to be my fate. I can't deny it. I fit those words like they were made exactly for the purpose of describing me. I have done despicable things, things that even I cringe at now and will forever wish I could take back. But there is no going back, now, is there?

I fell in love. Love, the most sensational feeling there is to know; burdened by the affliction of betrayal. But it happens to all of us, and I fell hard. His name was Stefan, and just as my heart fell for him so quickly, it was broken by him even faster. Such horrible things he did that led me to curse his one and only daughter to a death like eternal sleep. If only I could have stopped myself.

In the end, it was love. Love, the most true, honest feeling I have ever felt, for nothing in the world can keep you from loving. You have no choice, from the moment you meet. And this was what brought me out of my horrid, vengeful state that I forever wish I could erase. I broke the spell with a true love's kiss on her forehead. My Beastie awoke and my heart was whole again.

I am Maleficent. I am the one you use to explain the words of cold-hearted, bitter, hostile and cruel. I am those words. But I do not wish to be those words anymore.


	2. Chapter 1

**MALEFICENT**

The day I gave up my reign to Aurora was the day I felt whole again. My wings had been returned to me and they lifted me higher and higher from the pit of revenge I had fallen into years ago. For years after my betrayal by Stefan, I had slowly lost myself, and I became someone I did not wish to be. But I felt myself returning now. I could feel the breeze in my hair and the weight of my wings and I knew I was back.

But did they? Did my people know? I was feared for over 16 years, and that kind of fear does not disappear in mere moments. I glanced over to Diaval, my faithful servant. He was standing beside Aurora, congratulating her. She smiled the brightest of smiles and threw her arms around him. He looked rather stunned for a moment, and then hugged her back.

Aurora was a busy girl now, and the hug was short-lived. She left to talk to other people of the moors, as she would most-likely be doing all day. Being a leader (or should I say a good leader) is hard work.

Diaval turned to me and smiled. He stepped towards me.

"Mistress," he said bowing, "I am so very happy for what you have done."

"Thank you Diaval."

"Mistress, if I may have your permission, I would like to go to my nest now. I am quite tired."

I waved him off, and watched him disappear into the dense forest.

I cursed myself inside. I knew he deserved to be free. I knew that he had helped to save my life in the castle. Diaval had always been faithful and although he had thoroughly disapproved of my actions until now, he carried out my every order.

I wished now that I could know what he thought. Did he judge me? Was he disappointed? As a servant, he had a right to act respectful. And I wished deeply that his respect for me really existed, although I knew it was long gone. Or maybe it was never there in the first place. The thought made me miserable.

And my misery led me to do the one thing I had always failed to do. The right thing. This could wait no longer. If I wanted to change, I had to act on every good thought I had, the moment I had it.

I walked quickly through the woods to Diaval's nest, but I was surprised to not find him there. I looked around for a few moments, and wandered a bit, until I heard humming down by the river. As I peeked out from behind a tree, I saw him, bathing in the water.

I felt a rush of heat through my body for a reason I could not understand. I had seen him bathing many times. I was his mistress. I was above this. No reason to feel uncomfortable. I gathered myself together and stepped out into the clearing.

* * *

**DIAVAL**

"Diaval," A voice said from behind me.

I jumped, startled, and turned to find my mistress upon the bank of the river.

"M- Mistress!" I shouted. I ducked down into the water, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable. I expected my mistress to roll her eyes at my response and tell me that she'd seen me bathing many times. But she didn't. Instead I was quite surprised by her reaction.

"Diaval," she said, "when you are finished, would you kindly meet me back at your tree?"

"Yes, mistress," I replied, a little stunned by the politeness of her order. Not a moment after I replied she spun around and walked off faster than I had ever seen her walk. What was going on?

I finished my bath quickly, curious of Maleficent's strange behaviour, and jogged to my tree. She was standing in front, staring intently at the treetops above. When she heard my footsteps, she turned to stare at me. It was a few moments before she said anything and her stare down was incredibly harsh. I felt as if she was staring right through my clothes, and suddenly felt foolish.

Finally she spoke. "Diaval, you have been a most faithful servant, and because you saved my life in the castle you have repaid your life debt. I am going to free you now, and return you to your raven form."

As she spoke she seemed rather sad. It made me sad too.

"NO!" I protested.

Maleficent looked confused. "Is that not what you wanted?"

"While I am grateful for my freedom, please do not return me to a raven forever. I have spent too many years as a man and would live a miserable life. I cannot live as only a bird anymore."

Maleficent contemplated my plea for a moment. "Alright Diaval, you can remain in your human form, but I will give you the power to change to your raven form whenever you wish."

"Oh, mistress, that's… that's amazing. I- I can't thank you enough!" This was turning out to be a truly amazing day.

Maleficent waved her hand, burning with magic, and muttered something under breath. It sounded very much like, "Anything for you Diaval." I blinked.

"What?"

Maleficent's eyes flashed upward to meet mine and she responded coolly, "I said, I must be going Diaval." And she left. But I knew that was not what she said.

I watched her walk away with her head held high and her back straight. She was the only being I knew that could strut without seeming arrogant or losing her elegance. Someday I would tell her how much I admired that.

I climbed up into my nest and fell into a dreamless sleep.


	3. Chapter 2

**MALEFICENT**

I awoke to a certain heaviness in my chest. And as much as I knew exactly why, it caused me pain to think about it. Diaval. He was no longer mine. He was free now, and I could not guarantee how much longer I would see him. The moors were a large place, stretching for thousands of miles, some even I had never explored. If he so desired, he could avoid me for the rest of his life, easily. And I feared that fate greatly.

It is a remarkable bond, between a master and servant. However forced they may begin, they are not easily broken, and now I was feeling the link between us get weaker and weaker.

I am ashamed to say that thoughts of Diaval overrode my mind all morning, until I could no longer stand it. I had to find out if he'd left. I made my way to his nest, walking fast, and then slow; anxious to see him, but nervous to find him gone. I couldn't find the strength to fly. In the end, I made it there in little over half an hour.

The nest was empty. Suddenly my heart quickened and I felt many feelings. Panic, disappointment, fear, and anger. But that anger was not directed at Diaval. Oh no. It was directed at me. Anger for holding onto him so hard that he left as soon as he could; without even saying goodbye. Anger for acting so violently in front of him and scaring him away from me forever. Anger for… anger for… anger for a feeling I couldn't explain.

Tears began to gather in my eyes. I know I would have cried right there had I not heard the soft footsteps on the ground behind me. I whirled around to find Diaval, standing no more than five feet from me.

"Diaval!" I exclaimed, stepping back slightly.

"Hello mistress."

"Diaval… you can't call me that anymore."

"Oh right. Hello Maleficent."

"Where have you been?"

"I went to eat breakfast. Picked some apples. Is there a problem?" Diaval question, raising his one eyebrow. It made him look slightly questioning, and almost sarcastic.

"No. I just figured you'd be long gone by now," I replied inquisitively.

"Gone!?" he laughed, "Where would I go? This is my home! I have a nest, and a nice tree, and friends, and…" his voice faded out as he studied mine. "Did… did you want me to leave?" he asked softly.

I felt my eyes widen. "Goodness no, Diaval! I just thought you may want to get as far away from me as possible now that you were free."

Diaval stared at me intently. He said nothing. I watched the expressions on his face flash from confused, to hurt, to disappointment. I stared back until I could no longer take the silence. "I am going to visit Aurora now," I announced. As I walked past Diaval I brushed his cheek lightly with the back of my hand, and I walked off at a steady pace.

* * *

**DIAVAL**

Her touch on my cheek was something very unexpected. Never did Maleficent express feelings with physical touch. It was rare and even rarer than rare. And yet she purposely reached up to touch my cheek. It was the gentlest of touches, and her hand was softer than raven feathers.

If only she knew what it did to me.

Maleficent was a confusing being. So sincere and breathtakingly beautiful, yet so cold and harshly terrifying when she wanted to be. 16 years I spent with her, and was no closer to figuring out the thoughts behind those starry eyes. It drove my mind crazy.

I pondered her response to me, before she left in a rush. Was it some sort of sarcastic response? Did she really believe I would just leave, after all we had been through? Not likely.

Maleficent was a very difficult person to serve, not because she asked for outrageous orders to be done, but rather because she was like two different people. The one I hated and the one I loved.

Yes. I hated Maleficent at one time. I pitied her, but I still hated her. The things she had done seemed unforgivable in my opinion, but this hatred was always followed by an underlying feeling of love. There was a side to her that was soft, funny, and gentle. She looked after the moors like each and every part was her child. So protective. So fiercely loyal. She truly had a great capacity for love, even if she hid it.

That was the Maleficent I loved, and knew that nothing she did would ever make me change my mind. Love is a strange feeling, in that you don't get to choose who you love.

Even now, as she began to leave her harsh self behind, my love for her has only grown. But it is a foolish love, for loving Maleficent is like loving a spirit of energy. There is the sound of her, the sight of her, even the smell of her, but never the touch.

I realized long ago that Maleficent would never love in the way that most did. Looking for love in Maleficent was a barren future, and I gave it up almost instantly.

Until now. No touch from Maleficent had ever been made on purpose. Sure, she'd fell into me once or twice, or I tripped over a twig and bumped into her. But nothing like this touch.

I didn't know what to think. And being a bird originally, I have never been one to think about things in general. Acting on instinct was familiar with me. So I did exactly that.

I walked off to find Maleficent. I needed to find the meaning behind this, or my heart would forever ache from what might have been.


	4. Chapter 3

**MALEFICENT**

I found Aurora in her small cottage we had built for her by the edge of the moors. Its space occupied land right on the border of the moors and her father's old lands, for she was the new queen of both areas. She refused to live in the castle, because its past was foreign to her, and she did not like the power it assumed. Aurora was a humble queen and liked to live with her people, not above them.

I knocked on her door and opened it slowly. "Beastie?" I called.

"Come in, godmother!" she replied happily. She met me at the door and brought me to sit down with her at her table. In no time at all, she had a glass of tea placed in front of me.

"How are you, godmother?" she asked.

"Fine Beastie. I am fine."

"Are you sure godmother? You don't look fine," Aurora inquired.

"Yes, yes, I am alright," I said brushing off her concern. "I am slightly…distraught. I freed Diaval from his service today and the absence of him has not settled yet."

"Ah," she replied. A few moments of silence followed. "Is he going to remain here?"

"I don't know Beastie. That's his decision."

Aurora smiled. "Well, I should hope he does, for I would miss him greatly. Wouldn't you?"

I narrowed my eyes as I peered into hers. They were up to something.

"What are you trying to gain from this, Aurora?" I asked, inquisitively.

Aurora raised an eyebrow. "Nothing, godmother. But you must already know how he feels…?"

I felt my cheeks flush and stared at Aurora. I could feel my tone getting agitated as I said, "What do you mean? Feel what?" I was certain that I knew what she was going to say. He hated me. He hated my actions, my decisions, everything. And I couldn't bear to hear it. "Nevermind. Aurora, I must go. Thank you greatly for the tea."

I left Aurora with a slightly stunned and mistaken look on her face. Clearly she had much more to say, but I did not want to hear it. I was out the door and into the forest in a matter of short moments.

I walked briskly toward my nest, in need of a place to think.

I arrived to find Diaval sitting at the base of my tree.

* * *

**DIAVAL**

I saw Maleficent briskly walking her tree, which I was sitting behind. As she came around the back of it, she stopped suddenly as she saw me. Her eyes widened, but snapped almost instantly back to her blank glare.

"What are you doing here?" she asked accusingly.

"N-nothing! I just… came to see you," I replied, taken aback by her sudden rudeness.

"Why?" she demanded. "Why would you ever want to see me?"

"Ummm…" I stumbled, confused by the question.

"Just go Diaval. I don't have the patience for this right now. Come back tomorrow."

I was crushed. What was I thinking? That maybe she loved me too? I couldn't have been more wrong. I got up and turned to walk away, when suddenly I remembered.

I was no longer her servant. I turned around.

"No," I said assertively. "You don't tell me what to do anymore."

Maleficent looked at me like I was crazy. Then I could almost hear the wheels in her brain turning, as her eyes softened and she frowned.

"Diaval," she said softly, looking at the ground. "I'm sorry. I- I forgot…"

"You forgot what?" I asked, wanting to hear her say the words.

She looked up at me slowly and returned my stare. "I forgot you are no longer in my service."

I nodded. "That's right. And these woods are my home as much as they are yours."

"Yes, Diaval, they are."

"And I don't want to be treated like that anymore. You don't have the right to treat me badly and talk to me like that."

I could see Maleficent's hands tremble and clench tight. Her eyes became watery and she whispered in the softest of voices, "I'm sorry," before she turned quickly and took off with her wings. She was gone in all of three seconds.

I felt remorse. What had I done? Was she crying? Maleficent?! Since when was crying even a part of her genes?

I had a right to stand up for myself. Didn't I? I sat and rewound the conversation in my head, trying to think of what set her off. I had gotten frustrated with her before. Normally that just ended in her enchanting me until she could get far enough away that I couldn't find her. Now she couldn't do that anymore.

Was she upset she no longer had a servant? I had no idea.

Either way, I felt horrible for causing her such pain. Though my brain told me to wait a few days, my instincts told me to find her, and I was never one to betray my instincts.

I changed into my bird form and took off.


	5. Chapter 4

**MALEFICENT**

I landed gracefully on a cliff overlooking the diamond lake. I was so ashamed of myself that I could not bear to be near anyone. I sat for a while in silence. I had treated Diaval very badly. And I wasn't talking about today. That was nothing compared to the endless orders I gave him, the countless times he obeyed without any objection, and the way I constantly brushed him off as if he was nothing to me.

As I spoke to him moments before, I realized that he was not nothing to me. In fact, disregarding Aurora, he was everything. He was the only being who talked to me. The only one who didn't shy away when he saw me coming. Diaval was my only friend, if I even had the right to call him a friend.

And while I sat there pondering my past, I understood what Diaval's service had really meant to me. I understood that he was a part of me and I would not be whole without him. My shadow, my confidant, my companion, my friend.

I felt a feeling that I had not felt for years. A feeling that had so long ago clouded my judgement and turned to hatred and anger. A feeling that I never ever believed I would feel again for any man.

I finally understood why I had been so afraid of releasing him and losing him forever.

I was in love with him.

I was in love with him, and this love was doomed to die before it began. For a one way love never works out in the end. And I could not ask for Diaval's love after all I had done to him. What a disgrace that would be. What a horrible person that would make me.

I felt my tears fall down my cheeks as I tried to trace back time. When did I begin to love Diaval? Why did it take me this long to notice? I cried and cried, knowing I had lost something dear to me because I had been too oblivious and arrogant to even care.

I sat for a long time, until the sun started to set and I began to get cold. But I could not make myself get up.

As I looked into the darkening sky I saw movement. A small black thing in the distance, headed my way. As it got closer, I realized it was a bird. And before the realization fully kicked in, Diaval was standing before me, transforming back into a man.

I looked up at him and tried to think of something to say. I could not. I stood up and looked at him, taking in everything I had failed to acknowledge about his body, his stature, his eyes, his hair. He was beautiful. Rugged, slightly tattered, but beautiful. Suddenly, he spoke.

"I'm sorry, Maleficent, for speaking so rudely. You just wanted your space."

I felt my face contort into a sort of confused expression. He was sorry? When I should be the one apologizing?

"Diaval, I-"

He cut me off.

"No Maleficent. It's okay. I don't want your apology. I just want… to be treated as your equal. I don't want to be your servant, I want to be your friend. Your companion. I want to stay here, with you, if you'll let me."

I felt more surprised than I would have if the ghost of Stefan had suddenly appeared to me.

"What?" I asked.

Diaval stepped closer to me and brought his hand to my cheek. He cupped my face with his palm and brushed his thumb across my chin. I felt a shiver go through me, not from the cold air, but from his touch.

Diaval stared into my eyes as his fingers brushed over my lips. I became instantly frozen. As he came closer to me, and brought his face toward mine, I could not move. But I didn't want to, either.

My eyes closed before his lips touched mine, but I didn't need to see. For the senses are an amazing thing, and when one turns off, the others become more attuned.

His lips closed over mine. They tasted mildly sweet, as if he'd been chewing on a sap-covered branch. They smelled of pine. They were soft, gentle, and yet strong and firm.

As he pulled away, I realized I had placed my hands on his chest.

* * *

**DIAVAL**

I kissed her. I kissed Maleficent, because she was so utterly beautiful in that moment, and I could not restrain the temptation. I pulled away after a few moments, unsure of her coming reaction. She had placed her hands on my chest.

But they didn't remain there for long. For as she looked up at me I saw something in her eyes that I never thought possible. She didn't wait for me to ask.

Her arms extended, and reached up past my shoulders and to the base of my neck. Her hands pulled me down toward her and she kissed me.

It was something I could never describe with words. Her lips caressed mine lightly before opening and closing over them. I reached for her waist, pulled her in closer and kissed her back.

A soft sigh escaped her lips as they moved gently with mine.

Maleficent broke the kiss after several long moments.

"Diaval, I am the one that should have apologized," she said. "I was selfish, and rude. I was scared to let you go for I feared I would never see you again."

I looked at her, puzzled. "And why on earth would you think that?"

She stared up at me, her beautiful eyes holding mine, until she could no longer stand it. She looked down as she said. "I thought you hated me. For all the bad things I have done. I was scared of rejection."

Rejection? The thought had never occurred to me.

I took her hands. "Maleficent," I said, "You are right. You have done some things that no one would be proud of. But look deeper. You have also done many things that are worthy of praise! Look at what you did for Aurora. That was absolutely amazing! The way you care about these moors and everything inside of them is truly tremendous. I have never seen such love."

Maleficent brought her eyes to meet mine.

I continued. "You can change Maleficent. You already have changed. In a few years, the good things you will do will outnumber the poor choices you made. No one will remember, and if they do, they won't care about the past anymore. They will only see you, the old you that you used to be. They will see the you that I see every day."

"And which me is that?" she asked softly.

"The you that I am madly in love with," I said.

And I kissed her once more. She kissed me back with such passion that I had to work hard to keep my legs from going weak. I felt her tears on my face as she held me tight, so tight that I could never escape, even if I wanted to. I liked being her servant, and even though I was free, I would serve her for the rest of my life.

After we broke apart sometime later, we spent the rest of the night together on that cliff. Moment of talking, moments of silence, holding hands and looking into each other's eyes. Moments that I will never forget. As she fell asleep with her head on my chest that night, she whispered that she loved me. I knew I would never feel happier.


	6. Epilogue

**DIAVAL**

And so it was that Maleficent broke down her prison of words and freed herself. She was stronger than words, and instead of letting them confine her forever, she forged new ones around her. She changed the way she saw others. She changed the way she spoke to others. She changed the way she used her power. Never once did I believe that she couldn't.

I was finally able to see the Maleficent that existed long ago, and I realized that there was a reason that I loved her. There must have been a part of me that saw this Maleficent underneath all the cold-hearted acts, the hostility, bitterness, and cruelty.

Kind-hearted. Sweet. Gentle. Forgiving. That was my Maleficent. The one I would hold in my arms for the rest of my life. The one who never again shuddered away from physical touch. The Maleficent who loved all of the moors like everything in them was a part of her.

And by those soft words she came to be known. Sure, it took a few years to completely change her image. But good things take time, and Maleficent was just a little late in finding herself.

We became one, her and I. Both part of the same heart. And for the rest of my life, never did I love something as much as I loved her.

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**Hope you liked it! Thanks for reading :)**


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